Drying apparatus



2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

' (No Model.)

B. P. EWING. DRYING APPARATUS.

Patented Jam 19, 1897.

in, Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

B. P. EWING.

v DRYING APPARATUS.

No. 575,468. Patented Jan. 19, 1897.

Masada) m: mmms PETERS (10.. PHoTmumo. WASH'NGTDN. n. c.

NITED STATES ATENT FFICE.

BENJAMIN F. EWING, OF DETROIT, MICHIGAN.

DRYING APPARATUS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 575,468, dated January19,1897. Application filed January 14, 1896. Serial No. 575,509. (Nomodel.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, BENJAMIN F. EWING, a citizen of the United States,residing at Detroit, in the county of Wayne and State of Michigan, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Drying Apparatus, ofwhich the following is a specification, reference being had therein tothe accompanying drawings.

The invention relates to the construction of a drying apparatus designedespecially for grain and similar material; and it consists in theconstruction of a drying-chamber divided by perforated Walls intostorage-bins and airflues alternately, with inlets into the bottom ofevery other one of the fines and exits from the intermediate fines,whereby the air is caused to pass through the storage-bins in passingthrough the machine.

The invention further consists in the construction, arrangement, andcombination of the various parts, all as more fully hereinafterdescribed.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of my improved device.Fig. 2 is a central horizontal section. Fig. 3 is a verticallongitudinal section. Fig. 4 is a vertical cross-section showing onedump-door in its closed and one in its open position. Fig. 5 is adetached perspective view of a double screenframe with the screen partlybroken away. Fig. 6 is a longitudinal section through the upperconveyor-trough.

A is a suitable casing within which are formed the storage-bins andair-fines. This casing is preferably supported above the floor by thestandards B, sufficiently high to allow of a conveyor 0 for carrying olfmaterial discharged from the drier.

The divisions in the casing I preferably form by means of doublescreen-frames (shown in Fig. 5) consisting of a series of posts a, 0011-nected by the cross-bars b, fitted flush in gains.

and covered on opposite sides by wire-netting or similar reticulatedmaterial. These frames are fitted between the vertical guide-strips c,Fig. 2, on the sides of the casing A, and when thus fitted in positionthey divide the whole chamber into a series of alternate air-fines D Dand storage-bins E, the fines being between the frames and the bins thespace within the frames. The bottom of each bin is provided with a dooror doors, preferably two doors F, as shown in Fig. 4, hinged at oppositeends and opening downward in the middle. Suitable chutes G may bearranged under the bins E to direct the material into the conveyer O.The upper ends of the bins are open, but the tops of the fines D areclosed by caps II.

I are hoppers formed between the transverse dnets J, which are in thenature of tops or caps or extensions of the flues D.

K are exit-pipes from one end of the ducts J, leading. preferably, intoa common trunk L, from which an exit-pipe M may carry off thevapor-laden air to any desired point.

N are valves controlling the exit-pipes K. O is a drain faucet or pipefor the trunk L. P is the air inlet or supply pipe, having connectioninto the trunks Q Q, communication with the trunks being controlled bymeans of valves R R. From the trunk arevalve-com trolled pipes S,leading into the bottom of the air-fines D.

The parts being thus constructed,the device is adapted for use asfollows: The grain or other material to be dried is fed into theconveyer T, from which it may be dropped into any of the hoppers I byopening the slides T, Figs. 4: and 6. The material falling into thehoppers will pass into the bins E. Thus any number or all of these binsmay be filled. \Vhen filled, the air being supplied from. pipe P, thevalves R being open, will pass into the air-fines D at the bottomlaterally through the material in the bins E into the fines D, findingexit at the top thereof through pipes K and trunk L. Thus it will beseen that the material is stored in a series of thin bins withperforated sides, and the air is passed therethrough laterally,preferably coming in at the bottom and being discharged at the top,carrying the vapors with it, and in practice it has been found thatgrain or other material in very large quantities can be quickly driedwith this apparatus.

It will be seen also that part of the apparatus may be emptied or filledwhile the rest is being used for drying purposes, thus a continuousoperation being carried on, which greatly facilitates the speed. As thegrain is dried it settles somewhat, and that in the hopper I will passinto the bin E.

hat I claim as my invention is 1. In a grain-drier, the combination witha casing of a series of like open-ended frames having perforated sideWalls, and arranged across the casing, means for securing the frames inthe casing and spacing the same substantially equidistant apart,closing-caps for alternate frames, inverted-trough-shaped ducts fitted0n the upper ends of the remaining frames, means for supplying air tothe alternate frames, air-outlets from said ducts, and outlet-doors forthe material at the base of the casing-between the frames, substantiallyas described.

2. An imperforate casing open at top and bot-tom, a series of framesarranged parallel having perforated sides and extending across BENJAMINF. EWING.

lVitnesses:

O. F. BARTHEL, M. B. ODOGHERIY.

